FRENCH PEACEKEEPERS HELP CAR CHRISTIAN MILITIAS AND DISARM MUSLIMS

Bangui, 15 Safar 1435/18 December 2013 (MINA) – The Central African Republic (CAR) Muslim accused French peacekeepers help Christian militias and disarm only Muslims.

The French peacekeeping troops in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, insisted on Tuesday that they are disarming all armed rebels, a contention questioned by many Muslims, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“They are only disarming Muslims. The anti-Balaka still have their weapons,” claimed Hassan Haroon, a resident living in Muslim majority neighborhood, 5 kilometers from the capital.

“We want peace, but look what the Christians have done,” he fumed.

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“They destroyed some of our mosques, desecrated the Quran, killed pregnant women, and murdered children. Some of them were chopped to bits,” Haroon told AA.

Yahya Abu Bakr, another local Muslim, agrees as saying,“The French are only disarming the Muslims,” he insisted. “How about they disarm the anti-Balaka?”

Some Muslims went as far as accusing the French troops of turning a blind eye to the killing of their fellow religionists.

“We are scared in our own country,” lamented Hassan Bashir, insisting that the French do not care about Muslims.

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“If someone kills a Muslims, loots our property, or destroys a mosque, it doesn’t bother the French troops, they are not here for us,” he claimed.

Back at the French military base, General Francisco Soriano said he was aware of “misconceptions” about his troops.

“Our operation is not partial,” he maintained. “We take into consideration both parties.”

France has some 1,600 peacekeepers deployed in the country under a UN mandate to restore security and protect civilians.

They set up check points on the main road of the capital city earlier on Tuesday.

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CAR, a mineral-rich landlocked country, descended into anarchy in March, when Seleka rebels, who are mostly Muslims, ousted Christian President François Bozize, who had assumed power in a 2003 coup.

According to UN estimates, more than 400,000 people – nearly ten percent of the country’s 4.6 million-strong population – have abandoned their homes as a result of the violence.

Hundreds have been killed in tit-for-tat sectarian violence between seleka fighters and self-styled anti-balaka Christian militias Bangui alone in recent days. (T/P09/P03)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)